As you probably know by now, incandescent light bulbs are being phased out in the U.S., and when they are gone, they’ll be gone for good.
That leaves us all facing a decision going forward: Do we replace our bad incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs
Both of these new types of bulbs are vastly more energy efficient than the incandescent bulbs they were designed to replace, but deciding which type to buy can be confusing.
Hopefully, this post will help clear up the confusion a bit.
Although I can’t tell you which type of bulb you would like best, I can tell you that I personally prefer LED bulbs over CFLs, for the following reasons:
1 – LED bulbs typically last up to five times longer than CFL bulbs. According to the folks at General Electric (GE), LED bulbs can last up to 50,000 hours while CFLs tend to max out at around 10,000 hours.
The lifespans of both greatly exceed the 1,200 hour maximum lifespan of incandescent bulbs, but bulbs of the LED variety last the longest by far.
2 – LED bulbs are twice as energy efficient as CFL bulbs that put out the same amount of light. That means you can potentially save 50% on the “lighting” portion of your electric bill simply by installing LED bulbs instead of CFLs.
3 – LED bulbs are more durable than CFLs. Like their long, stick-like ancestors, CFL bulbs are quite fragile.
A slight bump with an elbow or other foreign object will often shatter a CFL bulb’s squiggly glass tube, and vibrations from a ceiling fan can cause cracks to form where the glass is molded to the bulb’s metallic base.
Contrast that with LED bulbs which are actually more durable than both CFLs and their incandescent predecessors.
4 – CFL bulbs make a dangerous mess when they break. It’s easy to spread mercury and other contaminants throughout your house and beyond if the mess isn’t cleaned up properly and disposed of in the recommended manner.
5 – I think the light emitted from LED bulbs just looks better than the light put out by CFLs. I find LED light to be more natural looking as well as more pleasing and comfortable to the eye.
Your eyes might see it differently, but most of the people I have discussed this with also seem to prefer the light from LED bulbs over CFLs.
Well, there you have it. Some while back I replaced virtually all of the incandescent and CFL bulbs in my house with LED bulbs, and I am very pleased with the result. I believe you will be too if you decide to make the switch.
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Bonus tip #1: If you decide to switch from CFL’s to LED bulbs, this post offers several tips for choosing the right ones.
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